Advantages

Disadvantages

5/5 The best kitchen scales I have owned.

Almost every day I will go to my kitchen book shelves and usually it is not to choose a cookery book but to reach for my Salter electronic platform kitchen scales. The unit measuring only 2cm in width stores neatly on it's side amongst my books. Not only are these scales slim and easy to store, they are in my view extremely efficient and well designed. I have owned the scales now for around 5 years.

~ Description ~The scales have a brushed stainless steel circular weighing area approximately 15cm in diameter. The sturdy base is black plastic with five small rubber non-slip pads placed underneath. At the front there is a shaped control panel 5cm in depth with an LCD screen and two buttons, one for 'on-off-zero' the other for measurement options. The scales have a general feel of quality and are robust yet reasonably lightweight.

~ Use ~I find the scales a breeze to use. I simply place the scales on a surface and press the 'on' button, in two seconds zero will appear on the LCD screen. I have selected grams as my main choice of measurement, but by pressing the second button you have the choice of ounces, fluid ounces or millilitres. I then weigh ingredients straight into a bowl, jug, dish or saucepan placed on the circular area. The projected control panel means considerably large bowls can be used with a clear view of the LCD screen. I even use the scales to weigh sugar into my large jam pan of 30cm diameter, by placing it slightly off centre so I can still see the LCD display. The maximum capacity for these scales is 5kg/ 11Ib.

The digits are clear and always shown instantly. With each different ingredient, I press zero and continue weighing. During this process it is easy to switch between metric and imperial or solid to fluid measurements. I have adapted bread maker recipes so I can use the scales to weigh all the ingredients directly into the bread tin. The scales are invaluable in my mind because they save on time and also washing up.

When not operated for longer than 3 minutes the scales will automatically turn off. This is a good safe guard for battery use if the scales have been abandoned for a reason (in my case this would most likely be a phone call). It is straightforward to then resume with weighing as long as zero is the required starting point.

After use, due to the simplicity of design, the scales can be easily cleaned if necessary by wiping over with a damp cloth. After 5 years of very regular use these scales remain in good condition, reliable in performance and accurate in measurement.

~ Battery ~Under the base is a slide opening compartment for a lithium CR2032 battery. The first battery was supplied with the scales. I would say battery life is extremely good, with my almost daily use of the scales a battery will last for approximately 6 months. The coin cell batteries are readily available and can be found on Amazon for £0.52 for a pack of two.

~ Conclusion ~I'm so pleased and impressed with these scales. Accurate, stylish, easy to store and use, a flexibility of weighing measurements and time saving. Available from Amazon, currently priced at £18.69 and with a 15 year guarantee.